The FCC issued an Order of Dismissal last week
resolving the long-standing Maritime Communications/Land Mobile (MCLM)
proceeding (Vol. XIV, Issue 8). The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and MCLM entered a
joint stipulation regarding the operational status of MCLM’s final 16
site-based licenses that remained in dispute. However, the FCC has still not
approved the applications to assign portions of the licenses MCLM originally
partitioned and sold to various critical infrastructure industry companies
several years ago. For more information, please contact Wes Wright
([email protected]; 202.434.4239) or Al Catalano ([email protected];
202.434.4207).

FCC Targets Landowner in Pirate Radio Action

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission
issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture proposing a monetary
forfeiture of $144,344 against several individuals in Florida for operating an
unlicensed FM radio station. This fine is the highest permitted under the
Communications Act. This case is unique because, in addition to fining the
operators of the station, the Commission also issued a fine to the owners of
the land from which the operators broadcasted. The Commission alleges that the
land owners, “supported, participated in, and acquiesced to the unlicensed
radio station’s operation.” For these reasons the Commission included them in
the enforcement action. For more information, please contact Wes Wright
([email protected]; 202.434.4239).

Senate Vote on Chairman Pai’s Nomination

The U.S. Senate plans to hold an executive session
today on FCC Chairman Pai’s nomination for another term. Earlier this summer,
the Senate Commerce Committee approved Pai’s nomination but the full Senate has
not yet acted. In other news, the Senate Commerce Committee plans to hold an
executive session on Oct. 4 to consider David Redl’s nomination to head the
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). The
confirmation has been held up primarily due to Senator Cruz’s concerns about
Redl’s position on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition.
If the Committee has elected to put this item on the agenda, then it is likely
that Senator Cruz’s concerns have been resolved. For more information, please
contact Kathleen Slattery ([email protected]; 202.434. 4244).

911 Access NOI Adopted; Comment Date Set

The Commission adopted the 911 Access NOI at the
September Open Commission Meeting. The NOI aims at gathering information to
examine how 911 calls are treated when completed by an Enterprise
Communications System (Vol. XIV, Issue 37). Comments are due November 15 and
Reply Comments are due December 15. For more information, please contact Wes
Wright ([email protected]; 202.434.4239) or Doug Jarrett ([email protected];
202.434.4180).

FirstNet Update

Louisiana became the 22nd state to opt-into
FirstNet. Also, last week Georgia became the 13th state to begin a procurement
process to identify possible alternatives to FirstNet. Georgia released the RFP
last week, and bids are due by October 24. Additionally, a Senior Vice
President at Verizon published an Op-Ed, explaining how Verizon’s network will
be interoperable with FirstNet. For more information, please contact Al
Catalano ([email protected]; 202.434.4207).

The views expressed in this document are solely the views of the author and not Martindale-Hubbell. This document is intended for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for consultation with a licensed legal professional in a particular case or circumstance.

Contact Keller and Heckman LLP - Washington Office

Choose Area of Practice Invalid Area of Practice is requiredFirst Name Invalid First Name is requiredLast Name Invalid Last Name is requiredE-mail Address Invalid E-mail Address is required

Describe Your Legal Matter

{{ (description ? description.length : 0) + '/1000 characters' }}

Invalid Legal Matter is required

Country Invalid Country is requiredZipInvalidZipis requiredCity/Town/LocalityInvalid City/Town/Locality is requiredState/Province/DistrictInvalid State/Province/District is requiredPhone Number Invalid Phone Number is required Preferred Contact Method

By clicking on the "Submit" button, you agree to the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms and Privacy Policy. You also consent to be contacted at the phone number you provided, including by autodials, text messages and/or pre-recorded calls, from Martindale and its affiliates and from or on behalf of attorneys you request or contact through this site. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

You should not send any sensitive or confidential information through this site. Emails sent through this site do not create an attorney-client relationship and may not be treated as privileged or confidential. The lawyer or law firm you are contacting is not required to, and may choose not to, accept you as a client. The Internet is not necessarily secure and emails sent though this site could be intercepted or read by third parties.

CONSUMER WEBSITES

The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or should be formed by the use of this site. The attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertisements. Your access of/to and use of this site is subject to additional Supplemental Terms.